Monday, August 27, 2007

Lift 'em Up, Put 'em Down

Mrs. Buce has been telling me I must read Amos Oz’ A Tale of Love and Darkness. God bless ‘er, she’s right again:

In Jerusalem people always walked rather like mourners at a funeral, or latecomers at a concert. First they put down the tip of their shoe and tested the ground. Then, once they had lowered their foot, they were in no hurry rto move it: we had waited two thousand years to gain a foothold in Jerusalem and were unwilling to give it up. If we picked up our foot, someone else might come along and snatch our little strip of land. On the other hand, once you lifted your foot, do not be in a hurry to put it down again: who can tell what coil of vipers you might step on.

--Amos Oz, A Tale of Love and Darkness 7 (2004)

No comments: